Over Protective
by Midnight Rose Princess
Summary: Everyone in the gang is very protective of each other, but when it comes to Woody, Jessie and Buzz may be a bit overprotective... which isn't really a bad thing when one thinks about it.


**Title: **Over Protective

**Authoress: **Midnight Rose Princess

**Summary: **Everyone in the gang is very protective of each other, but when it comes to Woody, Jessie and Buzz may be a bit overprotective... which isn't a bad thing.

**Author's Note: **I know I should probably be updating my other fics, but it seems like whenever I get a school holiday, I have to spend most of my time doing holiday assignments (I'm in advanced placement, pre-college classes) or meditating to get rid of stress. When I get some time, I try to catch up on anime episodes or buy the new released season dvds and watching through them (Axis Powers Hetalia is the culprit this time. I LOVE Arthur!) Plus there's still a bit for me to do to take care of my parents (which I don't mind, of course). By the time I actually get the time and mood to write, I'm already rushing to get the assignments done because I somehow lost what I finished. Anyway, I did get random inspiration when I got my official Woody doll for Christmas and scribbled this down in a notebook, and today I decided to type out the finished version. This could count as a companion to my other TS fanfic, Familiar Face, but it could also stand on it own. I plan to update as soon as I can, but if worse comes to worse, it may be until summer before the updates start coming really fast. Bear with me, my friends.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Toy Story. It belongs to John Lasseter and Pixar (and by proxy, Disney).

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Out of all the toys who now resided in Bonnie's room, only Buzz and Jessie could say they were a bit overprotective in nature. It was natural, of course, that for the toys that had once belonged to Andy, that the many years and adventures they shared together had made them more of a family than a normal old gang. And like a family, they were very protective of each other and aware of each other's needs. This translated to Bonnie's first toys, who were starting to find their own niches in the group, but none of them were over maybe two years old (except for maybe Totorro, but him being the silent type, no one asked) and just didn't feel that close-knit yet compared to their older companions.

Hamm was the certified sarcastic one, who knew his way around on financial or mechanical issues (be they an stolen Pizza Planet delivery car or the stock market). Hamm was willing to use his smarts to his advantage when his family was in need of knowledge or a witty comeback to break the tension. He was also the only one who could really put Mr. Potatoehead in his place when the spud was getting too pessimistic and cranky. He spent time around Rex and Slinky more than anyone from the old gang, though recently he'd become good friends with Buttercup. One could get the impression that he and Slinky were somewhat like big brothers to Rex and kept the naive dino safe whenever possible.

Said dino was secretly stating to develop a crush on Trixie, who shared his love for video games and, luckily, wasn't any competition for him to be dominant predator. Rex didn't exactly like being scared of almost everything with the slightest uncertainty, but he couldn't help it. He did feel glad though that Slinky and Hamm were always near by. True, Hamm or Mr. Potatoehead would take a crack at his fear a bit, but Slink never let it go so far as to hurt his feelings. Sometimes Rex even felt that it was ok for him to be his scaredy-toy self, because he knew he'd always have Slinky and Hamm watching his back. He'd help Hamm out on the new video games when Hamm was in the mood for them and helped Slinky get a few kinks out of his slink once in a while.

Slinky, the faithful hound himself, had always thought of himself as the link that kept the family together. And that wasn't just because his slink could probably wrap around all of them if they were huddled together in a circle, either. He'd also had that role come true in the physical world during the incinerator incident, when they had all been so close to death. He had one paw holding Rex to calm him down a bit, and another paw holding the leader's hand to let him know that none of them blamed him for the current situation. He connected everyone's hands-connected the rest of them to their three humanoid and equestrian friend who was a bit farther away. Afterwards, when they were safe, he felt real rage for one of the first times in his toy life. He wanted to loosen that bear's stitches and tear out his stuffing for endangering his family. Now, he decided to take on a new role alongside being the link that bound them together-he would be guard dog.

Yes, one could say that Slinky and Hamm were the protectors. Rex was almost always the protectee.

Then of course were the Potatoeheads, Mr. and Mrs., respectively. Like Andy had said, they were madly in love, despite the years. They were literally made for each other, despite their differences. Mrs. Potatohead liked to mother just about anyone, especially her 3 adopted alien children that her husband had saved. In the old days, she had been one of the girls of the family and very good friends with Bo Peep. She had a bit of a loud mouth when one of her accessories was missing, but it was never a big deal. She was also able to help the family cowgirl out if she ever had a female question in her rare moments outside her tomboy nature, more so no that Bo Peep was gone. She'd adjusted to the new room well, and found a new female companion to chat with in the form of Dolly, who had the same motherly tendencies to all of Bonnie's first toys.

Mr. Potatoehead on the other hand was usually cranky and handing out snide remarks to anyone or anything he had a problem with. He was never one to admit he was wrong, and had a bit of jealousy when it came to never being the favorite toy in the room. However, he was always up to the task of heading into danger on a rescue or escape mission, even if it was to rescue the favorite toy. There was also the fact that as the years had gone by, he mellowed out a bit, and now viewed the alien trio as his boys and had a bit of a soft spot for the peas in a pod. Not to mention he now had something in common with the energetic cowgirl who came to his wife for advice on occasion. Really, after spending just one night in the box, he sympathized with her fear of darkness and closed spaces, even asking her for advice when he was positive no one was looking.

It was simple to see the family vibe they gave off despite their, at times, big mouths. In a way, they were one constant part of them all. They gave the family a stability their haywire adventures could easily help them forget.

Buzz and Jessie were protective of each other, obviously, considering how they'd finally recognized their long-standing crushes on each other as love. When dancing, they made sure the other never missed a step or fell off balance. And at night, whenever Jessie's old fears rose up, she'd have a glow-in-the-dark space ranger to chase away the shadows. She also knew the space ranger's little fears, specifically the memory losses he suffered when switched into demo mode, and how to explain everything out to him in detail so he wouldn't be afraid of his unknown actions. Buzz had found a friend in the silent Totorro when it came to fixing any kind of transportation Bonnie made and Jessie was still very close to her favorite critter, Bullseye.

Bullseye was more of a puppy than a horse most of the time, constantly showering affection on Jessie, his best friend. He may not have been able to talk like all of his other friends, but his actions spoke volumes to them, who had learned to read him by body language alone over the years. He found he was able to talk with Buttercup because they were both equestrian toys, which was fun for the horse. He liked giving the peas in a pod horseback rides every now and then, and was a friend to all. He especially liked the cowboy of the room, considering he was said cowboy's loyal steed, and looked to him when he was scared for protection, which was always given.

Last but not least, that brings us to Woody. The sheriff was a natural born leader, and he felt a protectiveness for his family and any new additions to it as a whole. He saw it as his responsibility to keep them safe and out of danger, no matter what. He made sure they were comfortable with the routines and weren't worried or panicked about anything. He helped mediate the situation between any two toys that had a dispute going on and helped them find a compromise. They'd seen the lengths he was willing to go to to ensure their well-being and security many a time. It was that same protectiveness that led him to choose their transfer to Bonnie instead of sending them to the attic after everything they went through while he wasn't at Sunnyside for that brief period. Sunnyside was still a bad memory for Woody even though they'd been with Bonnie for almost a year. In the incinerator, that horrible feeling of failure for letting them down still remained in him at the back of his mind, though most of the time he was able to ignore it. Woody had a bad habit of subconsciously looking out for the others before he looked after himself, never noticing or thinking it a big deal to look out for himself at times.

Luckily, he sometimes didn't have to. Whether he realized it or not, the family he went to any lengths to protect looked out for him in the small stuff.

Hammoccasionally found a book for Woody to read, since he'd taken up to reading a lot more than most toys after Bo Peep was gone. Most of the time it was mystery and the occasional Western books. Hamm wondered if that was where Woody got inspiration for his complicated and amazing plans (be it an escape plan or a rescue plan or the old reconnaissance missions he used to hand to Sarge). Rex looked up to Woody since he was the leader, and also because of the bravery Woody was known to show in a dire situation. Though Buzz helped him on his roar, Rex one day hoped he could face things with the fearlessness Woody would. Slinky, as a dog, was man's best friend, and to be specific, Woody's. Woody was older than he looked, being a hand-me-down from Andy's father, and Slinky had been one of the first toys given to Andy. He and Woody went way back, old partners in crime, and playing checkers was one way he knew to get the leader to relax. The Potatoeheads of course, had been the second longest-going couple of the family in the past, since Woody and Bo had been together since practically forever. Back in Andy's room, being the only two couples had bound them in a weird way with one another. Bo and the Mrs. had been good friends, but their husbands were a bit complicated. Mr. Potatoehead would always harbor a bit of jealousy for Woody since he was the favorite and the leader. But Woody had the patience to put up with him when few others did, though he couldn't get back at the spud even if he wanted to. But there had been that one occasion when the spuds felt a bit protective of Bo and Woody, warning both Buzz (when he was still deluded) and Barbie not to try anything funny and come between the two lovebirds. Bullseye also felt protective of Woody, having proven it when he'd tried to follow Woody out of Sunnyside in the beginning, not wanting to leave his mount alone. That one terrifying night when they thought Woody was never coming back left the steed curling around the cowboy's hat in misery. Now that all was safe, Bullseye went back to the old routine of playing with Woody when he thought Woody needed a good lick and being more of a puppy to Woody than even Slinky could be.

But as aforementioned, Buzz and Jessie felt they were a little bit overprotective of Woody, more so than the others. After all, Buzz was Woody's best friend, and had been for a little over 10 years. In fact, since Jessie was pretty much Woody's little sister and now that he himself and Jessie were together, he could count as Woody's brother-in-law. The space ranger was also Woody's second-in-command, always there as a right hand helper when it came to their adventures or a second pair of eyes when Woody couldn't keep up with everyone. Jessie was, as said, his little sister at heart, constantly teasing him and playfully messing with him, or asking for his assistance in messing with Buzz for whatever reason.

The truth remained that Buzz and Jessie knew more about Woody than anyone, and thus were more perceptive to his emotions than the others, and that they protected their friend fiercely.

They knew how Woody still missed Bo Peep more than he let on. Hamm didn't know, but Woody also read Western romance novels sometimes, telling Buzz and Jessie that back in the day, he and Bo would watch the black-and-white picture shows on tv of the same stories. Everyone knew they'd been together for a long time, and even Slinky said that by the time he was given to Andy, Bo and Woody had already been together. That left a question they would later ask Woody, who eventually, after a little prying, gave them the answer. He and Bo had been together a total of about 30 years. Bo had been a hand-me-down from Andy's mother (given to her by her own grandmother), while Woody himself was, as everyone knew, a hand-me-down from Andy's father. 30 years was an amazing time span, even for humans with the way modern relationships were going sometimes. It was no wonder he still missed her. Dolly had sort of a crush on him for a while, but once told about Bo by Mrs. Potatoehead, she'd accepted that Woody would likely never fall for anyone that much again, and found she was perfectly all right to just be friends with him. In fact, she'd recently gotten with Chuckles, but that was another story. Regardless, whenever Woody felt lonely without her, Buzz and Jessie were there to talk to him or just sit with him in a comfortable silence.

They also knew that even Woody, who Rex saw as fearless, did in fact have a fear of his own. They were aware that Woody tried very hard to hide it, because he'd thought Sheriff Woody Pride should never show fear, lest he worry the others who looked up to him. It turned out that he couldn't hide anything from his two closest friends, and still can't to this day. When Buzz revealed his own fear of losing memories to Woody, Woody had confessed his fear: Fire. Woody had always been afraid of fire, since he was made of thread, not all plastic or all metallic like the others. His worst fear in the past had been losing the person closest to him, but since that had already happened with Bo, he faced that fear by spending the night before that yard sale with her and had moved on with time. His fear of fire, however, had never waned, and since the incinerator incident, had gotten worse. He'd have nightmares about that roaring fire that had threatened to turn them into a block of molded plastic and ashes, but Jessie and Buzz would always be right next to him, whether he was asleep in the toy box (Bonnie still slept with her softer toys since her bed couldn't fit them all) or under Bonnie's bed since the toy box was sometimes cramped. Buzz and Jessie had realized, in horror, that had they not been saved, Woody, being the furthest down in his attempt to help Rex, would have been the first to reach the fire. That thought gave them nightmares, but Woody would remind them that he was there and that it was over, which would help him get over it himself little by little.

They were both also willing to cut Mr. Potatoehead off if he was complaining about nothing to Woody or complaining about Woody in general for no real reason, and always made sure Woody knew that the spud didn't actually mean it. They also made sure everything went smoothly in the room or kept an eye on everyone to make sure they were all contributing to Mr. Pricklepants' construction of his next play so there would be less disputes for Woody to handle and no accidents that would cause Woody to have a bit of a worry-wort attack. They made sure that on the few occasions Bonnie's family had a barbecue, that once Bonnie had set them down to go eat, to keep Woody away from the grill or the matches. When Hamm would head in the direction to where Buzz and Jessie knew Woody was reading one of those Western romance novels, they distracted the piggy bank and gave Woody a signal to know he'd have to finish the chapter later. The thing they found the hardest to protect Woody from, was actually, in a way, themselves. Now that they were together, and Bo was gone, that left Woody the odd one out. Jessie and Buzz had noticed it for the first time when in the incinerator. Everyone had someone to really cling close to... except Woody. Woody was sort of spread out between Buzz and Slinky, an arm's length away from them. Since then, Buzz and Jessie tried to make sure that Woody never felt third wheeled and let him know they would always be the unstoppable toy trio. Finally, it went without saying that in any dangerous, life-threatening situation, they'd defend Woody at any cost, and vise-versa.

If asked why, then one could say they were so protective of him because they both knew that they'd never be able to get by without him. Jessie especially, since she'd feared she'd have to do just that when that twisted bear had tossed Woody's hat to her cell, and having to find the words to tell Bullseye that Woody was gone. That guilt she'd felt was still a bad memory. Since then, Jessie had promised to have more faith in Woody and listen to him just a bit more. Besides, he was more like big brother to her than anything else. True, when she'd first met him there had been that little crush, but when she saw him for who he was, she did admit that he was a little dorky in his own way, and he and Bo went perfect together. He helped her remember what it was like to be loved by an owner and adjust to being part of the gang, which she thanked him for. Not to mention he'd jumped onto a plane to save her so she wouldn't be alone in Japan-her brother's finest hour if he ever had one. She could banter with Woody in nothing but cowboy/cowgirl talk straight from the Old West and actually have him understand it, unlike the other toys who sometimes got lost because they didn't understand a word of it. Buzz was among them, but he was getting better at understanding it when he listened to them go back and forth with the weird phrases. Plus, she knew probably more than anyone that Woody was a master prankster. Most of his pranks had Buzz as the target, which always issued a "Darn it Woody!" when the space ranger had had enough. Jessie also had an affinity for pulling pranks, and in a way became Woody's apprentice, learning the ropes from the inwardly mischievous cowboy. She felt a bit excited when Woody was teaching her a new trickster trade, sometimes leaving her inwardly happy that her big brother was so smart. Of course, she still teased him whenever possible and made him tire out when he couldn't chase her to retrieve his hat anymore, because she didn't want him to turn into an old sourpuss.

Yep. Jessie was darn tootin' that her quirky big brother would always be there for her through thick and thin, no doubt about it.

Buzz Lightyear'sreasons should go mostly without saying, but one can't overlook it. Woody had been Buzz's first enemy, and yet became his best friend through the events of Sid's house. He admitted that, even in his deluded state (believing he was a space ranger), he'd admired Woody's fortitude when the Sheriff had refused to talk under Sid's torture. When his eyes had been opened with the sight of the Buzz Lightyear toy commercial and subsequent failure to fly, Woody still wouldn't give up on getting them back to Andy's together. Woody never told anyone about his "Mrs. Nesbit" breakdown, for which he was extremely grateful for. And it was at his lowest point when he'd finally understood the reason for Woody's animosity. He really had been taking Woody's place in Andy's room, even got a bit of Bo's attention, so it was no wonder why Woody had resented him. Woody's rule-breaking rescue was something Buzz had hoped to one day repay him for, which he did when rescuing Woody from Al the next year. He'd felt odd when he realized that he'd actually had to talk sense into Woody, reversing their roles from the year before, but found that sometimes Woody needed to have the roles reversed. Buzz recognized the wisdom Woody hid behind his stubbornness and worry-wort nature. True, Jessie was just as old as Woody, but she'd spent a little over 20 years in the darkness of storage, while Woody had been owned by Andy's father and gaining experiences. That also explained why Woody was more mature and quiet than Jessie, and was more likely to sit calmly while Jessie ran around with boundless energy. Buzz had found that Woody could always give him the best advice due to the wise lessons he'd learned over time. As his second-in-command, he also learned a lot about strategy from Woody, who had proven his genius with his plans to save Buzz from Sid and escape Sunnyside. Buzz was often left in awe of Woody's tactics, no matter the occasion. Still, he did get annoyed when Woody's pranks went too far, but the more he thought about it, the more he started to think that Woody did that to make sure he didn't become too uptight.

Besides, in the end, Buzz knew that he and Woody would be friends even when they found out what was beyond infinity, no matter what.

Though none of the other toys really thought much of it enough to see it, Woody did notice his friends' overprotective tendencies towards him. He'd felt he hadn't needed it at first, thinking that as leader he should be the most protective, but eventually he realized that he needed Jessie and Buzz to be that way. Their actions really did make things easier for him to deal with, plus he was always up to encourage them and help them through any relationship problems they might encounter. Really, sometimes they were a handful, but he enjoyed untangling the mess they made (be it a dancing fiasco or an accident).

The more Woody thought about it, the more he realized that protection was just another big concept of a family. There had to be trust, which must be earned. There had to be love, which was given and received in return. There had to be laughter, which was one contagious thing everyone never minded getting infected with. There had to a few fights or disagreements now and then, because even the closest of people (or toys) can't always fit perfect together on issues. There had to be forgiveness, which had to be earned depending on whatever was done wrong. There had to be mistakes, which were learned from. There had to be promises, which were meant to be kept and not given out freely. There had to be surprises, which made sure it was never too boring. There had to be fun, which made every day worth living. There also had to be goodbyes, which left behind precious memories never to be forgotten.

But probably most of all, there had to be protection, which ensured the rest would not be broken or lost, but treasured by all, with no one left behind even at heart.

Even if his two closest friends were a bit overprotective compared to the rest, Woody could never find it in his heart to complain about them or any of the others. They were all family, and they'd always be that way... for infinity and beyond.

**The End**

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**Midnight: **Sorry for the kinda cliche ending, but it just seemed the best way to end it. Now that I re-read it, it kinda has a drabble quality to it. But, according to the definition, a drabble must be exactly 100 words, and I don't think (with my like of detailed writing) that I could ever stop with just 100 words. And this story is certainly over 100 words, wouldn't ya say? Still, these are my thoughts on the characters in general, my own observations, and why I like them. Though Woody's my favorite, of course. Anyway, this junior has to finish the last half of her reading assignment. Ciao!


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